Lifestyle - Business: 3 Secrets to Customer Management That Bring Real Results

From a management perspective, we need systems because they make output and input neat and organized. Business runs smoothest when everybody is following the manual, step by step.

However, when we consider that employees must also take care of customer management, the systems—keeping inventory, managing the register, stocking supplies, accomplishing timesheets, expense reports, and hundreds of other minutiae—inevitably get in the way.




First Secret: Go beyond the routine.

Systems are based on routines, which reduce friction. They minimize effort which is useful for repeated processes. But good customer service is not a routine. It is a relationship, which requires more energy, and more effort to sustain.


Second Secret: Keep the face—eyes and ears—open to the customer

Customer management that makes a difference is face-forward, beaming its attention on each customer. Being tuned in and attentive is something that most employees will say they are. But keeping eyes and ears open means actively searching for the needs and concerns of the customer. Keeping alert to the customer’s needs means understanding that each customer is different, not a step in a routine, and each one requires different levels of assistance.


Third Secret: Be an expert on your own product.

Once you have mastered keeping your face oriented towards the customer, you must be able to respond fully to your customers’ needs. Knowing your company’s services or products really well translates into better presence, faster customer service, and customers that return for the excellent service and customer management. MP :)

Lifestyle: Gadget: Nokia Lumia 520 vs Huawei Ascend W1

This is one for the books: The P8,990 Huawei Ascend W1 held the "Cheapest Windows Phone 8 device in the Philippines" record for only two days; Nokia Philippines has officially announced the availability of the Nokia Lumia 520. The price? P7,990.

Everyone who has ever wanted to try the latest version of Microsoft's mobile operating system has more reasons to do so now that prices have gone below the P10,000 mark.

So which is the right Windows Phone 8 gadget for you? We take a look at what's on paper because we only have the Huawei Ascend W1 with us. We don't have the Nokia Lumia 520 yet.

At first glance, you'd think that Nokia's bet is the clear winner. But once you get past the price and check out the specs, you'd understand why there's a P1,000 difference.
Spec comparison: Nokia Lumia 520 vs Huawei Ascend W1

Some advantages of the Huawei Ascend W1:
The chipset is better.
The CPU speed is faster.
The rear camera has flash.
It has a front camera; the Nokia Lumia 520 has none.
The cell is bigger at 1,950mAh and should most likely translate to a longer battery life.

On the other hand, what's going for the Nokia Lumia 520 are the following:
Larger internal storage by 4GB.
Slightly slimmer and lighter.
MicroSD slot can take up to 64GB cards.

So it's really just a matter of what you need—for now, at least. Again, we haven't had our hands on the Nokia Lumia 520 yet. All we have is the Huawei Ascend W1, which we're loving thus far.

Source: Yahoo! Philippines

Lifestyle: Business - Forbes' top 10 billionaires in 2013

1. Carlos Slim ($73 billion). Mexican businessman Carlos Slim listens during a news conference after the inauguration of a new research facility at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, in Texcoco outside Mexico City in this file photo from February 13, 2013. Slim, who has taken a hit from the slump in the share price of his America Movil telecoms group since the list was calculated as of Feb. 14, remained the richest ...more 

2. Bill Gates ($67 billion). Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates listens alongside Mexican businessman Carlos Slim (not pictured) during a news conference after taking part in the inauguration of a new research facility at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, in Texcoco outside Mexico City in this file photo from February 13, 2013. Gates held on to his spot as the world's second richest person on Forbes' ...more 

3. Amancio Ortega ($57 billion). Amancio Ortega, chairman of Spanish global fashion group Inditex, laughs during a visit of Spain's Princess Letizia and Crown Prince Felipe to his factory in Coruna, northern Spain December 2, 2008. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal/Files

4. Warren Buffet ($53.5 billion). Investor Warren Buffet arrives for the premiere of the film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in New York September 20, 2010. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

5. Larry Ellison ($43 billion). Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, arrives at the premiere of "The Guilt Trip" starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen in Los Angeles in this file photo from December 11, 2012. Ellison, with a fortune of $43 billion, rounded out the top five of Forbes' 2013 annual ranking of billionaires. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS PROFILE HEADSHOT)

6. Charles Koch ($34 billion). Charles G. Koch has been the chairman and CEO of Koch Industries — one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. — since 1967.

8. Li Ka-shing ($31 billion). Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing waves during a press conference in Hong Kong on August 2, 2012. A Vietnamese property developer who started out making noodles in Ukraine joined Li for the first time on Forbes magazine's world's billionaires list Monday.

9. Lilaine Bettencourt and family ($30 billion). A file picture taken on October 12, 2011 shows the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt leaving the Institut de France in Paris.

Source: Yahoo! Philippines

1. 1. Carlos Slim ($73 billion). Mexican businessman Carlos Slim listens during a news conference after the inauguration of a new research facility at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, in Texcoco outside Mexico City in this file photo from February 13, 2013. Slim, who has taken a hit from the slump in the share price of his America Movil telecoms group since the list was calculated as of Feb. 14, remained the richest ...more 

2. 2. Bill Gates ($67 billion). Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates listens alongside Mexican businessman Carlos Slim (not pictured) during a news conference after taking part in the inauguration of a new research facility at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMMYT, in Texcoco outside Mexico City in this file photo from February 13, 2013. Gates held on to his spot as the world's second richest person on Forbes' ...more 

3. 3. Amancio Ortega ($57 billion). Amancio Ortega, chairman of Spanish global fashion group Inditex, laughs during a visit of Spain's Princess Letizia and Crown Prince Felipe to his factory in Coruna, northern Spain December 2, 2008. REUTERS/Miguel Vidal/Files

4. 4. Warren Buffet ($53.5 billion). Investor Warren Buffet arrives for the premiere of the film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in New York September 20, 2010. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

5. 5. Larry Ellison ($43 billion). Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation, arrives at the premiere of "The Guilt Trip" starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen in Los Angeles in this file photo from December 11, 2012. Ellison, with a fortune of $43 billion, rounded out the top five of Forbes' 2013 annual ranking of billionaires. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS PROFILE HEADSHOT)

6. 6. Charles Koch ($34 billion). Charles G. Koch has been the chairman and CEO of Koch Industries — one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. — since 1967.

7. 8. Li Ka-shing ($31 billion). Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing waves during a press conference in Hong Kong on August 2, 2012. A Vietnamese property developer who started out making noodles in Ukraine joined Li for the first time on Forbes magazine's world's billionaires list Monday.

8. 9. Lilaine Bettencourt and family ($30 billion). A file picture taken on October 12, 2011 shows the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt leaving the Institut de France in Paris.

9. 1. Carlos Slim ($73 billion). Mexican businessman Carlos Slim listens during a news conference after the inauguration of a new research facility at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, or CIMM

People: Binibining Pilipinas GOLD 2013 winners (Ms. Philippines 2013)

Bb. Pilipinas 2013 GOLD Official Results:

Miss Universe Philippines - #41 Ariella Arida
Bb. Pilipinas International - #20 Bea Sanitago
Bb. Pilipinas Tourism - #16 Cindy Miranda
Bb. Pilipinas Supranational - #39 Mutya Datul
Runner up - #15 Pia Wurtzbach

CONGRATULATIONS AND MAKE YOUR COUNTRY PROUD!!!!!!

Lifestyle: Business - 5 Survey Questions that Make Your Customer Service Survey Speak Volumes

A customer service survey can be as indicative of your brand personality as a business card or storefront design.

Specificity is essential in composing surveys like a pro. I think it’s also essential to be specific in the tone and mood of your survey.

 

To test the messaging of your brand, and to see whether your branding is coming through in form and function, start with the broad questions that cover the brand attitude, and move towards particulars like helpfulness, accessibility, and whether they would recommend your brand to their friends or associates.

Keep your tone causal if you are a fun and playful brand. Keep the questions formal if you are projecting luxury or maturity.

Branding

1. When describing the Acme Brand, you would use the words: a) fun, b) active, c) conservative, d) cutting-edge, e) risque

Ease of Use

2. From the moment you decided to hire National Services Inc., how easy was it to choose and and contract our workers?

Staff Helpfulness

3. Please rate the helpfulness of the Smiley Staff from 1 Happy Face to 5 Happy Faces.

Comparison

4. Please rate our product quality compared to our competitors: 1) not as good, 2) worse, 3) the same, 4) better, 5) much better

Recommendation

5. How likely are you to recommend us to a good friend or family member? 1) never, 2) not likely, 3) neither likely nor unlikely, 4) likely, 5) very likely

Regardless of your chosen style in conducting your own customer survey, be sure to cover the important topics, and do so in a clear manner. When in doubt, never sacrifice understandability. The aim of a survey is to discover gaps in your service procedure as well as finding strengths and weaknesses in your business model.:) MP

Lifestyle: Business - Out of the (Suggestion) Box: 3 Fun Ways of Getting Customer Feedback

Asking for customer feedback is never easy, especially in person. The potential for being “put on the spot” is heavy on both parties, and is generally avoided. But thanks to the internet, it’s a lot easier to give unsolicited feedback. Online accounts for people and for businesses work on so many levels, as consumer protection and free marketing. But as it has opened the valves on people’s opinion, it released a torrent of opinion.

Starting with anonymous accounts, to the various Like/Dislike, +1, ReTweets, and Favorites, customer feedback is getting more and more important to host and to guest. Companies like TripAdvisor rely mainly on guest recommendations and warnings to hostels and hotels alike. A business owner should only Google their own business name to find out what are being said about them.

A common practice some years ago was to type in “I hate (company name)” to see if that web page was constructed. But it seems to have died out in the advent of social networking sites. It seems people prefer to let their friends hear their gripes, rather than to no one in particular.

Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” I wonder if he was right?

The Philippine cafe Mary Grace makes great pasta dishes and thick hot chocolate. But the Mary Grace behind the store started out by herself with her family, baking holiday treats from her own kitchen. As the entrepreneur in her took over, and the baking went from packaging for gifting to finally going bricks, mortar, and pestle, she retained the intimacy of the Christmas spirit, and let it thrive as the heart of her business.

And it twinkles evidently in the customer feedback. Each glass tabletop has thank you notes that her customers and friends have written, and are on display underneath the glass. This heartwarming decor is a clever and sincere way of encouraging—and showing—gestures of love and appreciation for and by her customers. Sit at one of the tables, and you will be delighted.

Nothing gives you the feeling that the food and the service is crafted with love than this. It is clear that the staff are appreciative of life and generous with their smiles, not to mention an exceptional dining experience.

Old Spice broke all conventions in 2010 when it went online for its “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign (a.k.a. “I’m on a horse”)

Following the enormous success of its 30-second video (which reached millions of views in days), the wildly-quoted spot got so much twitter feedback that the creative team of Weiden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon decided to keep the conversation going, online.

Customer feedback should be treated as currency by any business, and you should go out there and seek it. Look for it online; create promotions that ask for feedback, or simply monitor for mentions online. Start with simply excellent and surprising customer service.

Don’t stop until you get it good customer feedback—whether handwritten or online. And don’t forget, sometimes, all you need is ask your staff to spread the word; “Cc:” everyone in an email; it’s worth sharing—even internally—every time we receive a simple, “Thank You,” from a happy customer. :) MP